Offshore staff
GLASGOW, UK — Metocean surveys have started around the MachairWind wind farm project area off the coast of Argyll, western Scotland.
Project contractor Fugro has deployed a floating LiDAR (light detection and ranging) buoy, metocean buoys and seabed frames.
For the current program, operated from the Fife-based Forth Warrior vessel, equipment has been placed at two separate locations and will remain there for a year, measuring wind speed, air and sea temperatures, current speeds and wave heights.
MachairWind, ScottishPower Renewables’ first offshore wind farm in the region, has a proposed generating capacity of up to 2 GW.
Senior project manager Kiera Wilson said, “The metocean data collection that is now underway is an important part of that and will help build up a picture of the conditions our windfarm will need to operate in—whether spring, summer, autumn or winter. Further survey work is planned for later this year, with geophysical and environmental survey works expected to begin in the summer to gather data about the ground conditions on the seabed.”
Work is also underway on a feasibility study to help identify suitable port facilities for the construction, operation and maintenance phases of the project, along with another program assessing the potential impacts on employment and businesses.
06.16.2023
